


The Most Prettiest Stars of Them All

by Mochamiii



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Fluff At Some Points, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Multi, Not Canon Compliant, OT3 FEELS, Oh holy Lord why did I write this, Polyamory, Sadness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-02-17
Packaged: 2019-10-02 03:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17256470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mochamiii/pseuds/Mochamiii
Summary: The height of the plague is upon Vesuvia now. Asra wants to leave. The apprentice and Julian want to stay. Everything falls apart.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Female! Apprentice but no names are given.
> 
> WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS FOR ASRA AND JULIAN'S ROUTE.
> 
> BTW: THIS IS NOT CANON COMPLIANT.

"Asra, we can save everyone in Vesuvia, we just have to stay." The apprentice argued, resting a banded hand on her hips which were wrapped in a velvet scarf.

 

Julian reaches out from beside the apprentice, resting his hand on the shorter's shoulder, a pleading look in his eyes.

 

"Asra, we're so close to finding a cure."

 

And they are, almost. The last few days have been utterly exhausting. Restless nights scouting books or spells that would help with the plague. Countless bodies were beginning to pile on the streets, though Valdemar is beyond happy with all the bodies they can dissect, the sheer number was rising too quickly.

 

Asra looks between his two beloveds, the perfect pair that was made just for him. He just wanted to get away from this whole mess. He wanted everything to just be fine but he knew the two were the most stubborn human beings besides a few selected few.

 

Maybe he could compromise. He steels his gaze to Julian's, then his apprentice. "I'll go look for a cure outside of Vesuvia. You two can stay here, find a cure, make sure Portia, Nadia, and Muriel are okay."

 

The apprentice immediately looks worried. "Are you sure? You'd be alone out there." She asked. Asra smiles, "I'll never be alone." A medium ribbon of blue pokes out of Asra's shirt.

 

The apprentice smiles warmly at the snake. She gently scratches the scaled head. "Faust, look out after Asra okay?"

 

 _Yes!_ A small tongue blepped out to the duo in front of her. 

 

The apprentice chuckles along with Julian. She looks Asra in the eye and notices the unease even though he proposed the idea in the first place.

 

She cradles his head in her hands as best she could with her limited height. "We'll be okay Asra. I promise." She gently kisses his nose before pulling away, Julian taking her place.

 

"Come back safe, and treat us to pumpkin bread when you come back, okay?" Julian smiles, pressing a sweet kiss to Asra's lips before standing next to the apprentice.

 

Asra smiles lovingly at them before nodding, taking both of them in his arms and coddling them with sweet kisses in between.

 

☪

 

The next day, Asra is already packed and ready to go. He finishes the last of his Lapsang souchong before putting on his flamboyant hat.

 

It was early, most of Vesuvia hushed in slumber. The twilight sky twinkled above, ignoring the helplessness on the earth below.

 

With Faust tucked snuggly in his vest, he slung his bag over his shoulder and pushed up his red velvet scarf, pairing his apprentice's own purple one.

 

He was about to turn towards to the front of the shop when a small clunk sounded behind him. He quickly turned around, only to be met by the sight of his beloveds.

 

He noticed something was off, their eyes were tinged a pale pink and they were sniffling. He hugged them both to his chest, cautious of crying as well.

 

"I love you both. I'll be back as soon as I can." He reassured. He turned to Julian and kissed him lovingly. "I'll promise to treat you to as much pumpkin bread as you like Ilya."

Julian smiled bashfully as he returned the kiss. Asra then turned to his beautiful apprentice. "I'll also get you as much pumpkin bread as you want ____." He kissed her deeply, somehow whisking away the sorrow.

 

He begrudgingly pulled away, hugging his loves one last time before pulling away. 

 

"Wait!" The apprentice shouts. She fumbles with something in her pocket before pulling out a necklace.

 

Asra recognized it immediately. The necklace that held the green pendent was smaller now, that, he noticed.

 

His gaze traveled up to where he saw Julian and the apprentice wearing the same green gem, though it was in different shapes.

 

The apprentice and Julian moved closer, slipping the necklace over the magician's head. "So we'll always be together." She muttered, holding her piece to Asra's piece, Julian joining his piece to there's to complete the heart.

 

They slowly pulled away, the empty feeling digging deeper. This was why he usually left unannounced, he wouldn't have to deal with this pain.

 

He didn't want to leave them, but something was calling out to him out there, something that told him to get out of Vesuvia. The journey would be dangerous, that alone convinced Asra to make sure Julian and the apprentice were in familiar territory.

 

He gave them another round of kisses before leaving through the front door.

 

The apprentice and Julian looked at each other sadly, walking back upstairs to have a cuddle session with the exception of a missing member.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I ever tell you guys this is my first time posting on AO3?

 

Chaos. That was what you can describe Vesuvia as of now. The plague was at it's strongest, you would never know who got infected next.

 

Unfortunately, our two heroins didn't know what hit them while searching for a cure.

 

"Ilya... Your eyes." The apprentice choked out, sobbing as she looked at the sclera of his eyes tinged crimson red. Julian smiled sadly as he cupped her face in his hand.

 

"Your eyes as well." He said sadly, tears leaving red streaked paths down his cheeks. At this moment, they both knew.

 

They were too late.

 

The apprentice cried as she buried her face in his chest. They wouldn't last long, she knew it. Nobody lasted longer than four days at the most with the plague.

 

They were so close to finding a cure too.

 

No, it wouldn't end like this. Pulling away with newfound determination, the apprentice pulled Julian's head leveled with hers.

 

"Ilya, we may have this plague, but we still have time to look for the cure before we're to be brought to the Lazaret. Are you with me?" She asked, wiping away the red streaks from her Ilya's cheeks.

 

"We'll always do things together dear, whatever that is." Julian reassured, giving her an all consuming hug.

 

They pulled away and gave each other a firm nod. Earlier when they were looking for a cure, they had overheard Volta speaking to Vulgora about a certain ritual to transfer Count Lucio's soul to a healthy body.

 

And if anything were to be the outcome of this ritual, it would be very bad. So the most important thing would be to sabotage the ritual.

 

Julian began scribbling away at his book while the apprentice wrote out reports from the other doctors.

 

Julian abruptly stopped, a voice speaking inside his head, strange things really, but he realized in desperate moments of need, their arcanas can speak to them.

 

The apprentice stopped as well, peering over to Julian worryingly. "Are you okay Ilya?" She asked, voice soft. Her throat felt as if it was on fire and it was only a few hours after they got infected.

 

Julian suddenly stood up. "Lucio is tied to the plague. Kill Lucio, get rid of the plague." He muttered over and over again. "Ilya what's wrong?" The apprentice asked, resting her hands on Julian's shoulders to calm him down.

 

"Lucio is the reason why the plague's in Vesuvia. Those red beatles caused it but he carried it to here. If we kill Lucio, everything will stop." He said quietly.

 

The apprentice pulled away. Kill Lucio? They couldn't commit murder, no matter how much Lucio was an annoying prick (or how much he flirted with Julian).

 

Besides, it wasn't the guards who guarded Lucio's room. It was the courtiers and they always had sent a chill up the apprentice's spine.

 

But she gets what Julian's saying. If Lucio gets a new body, the plague will continue to stay in Vesuvia. If he doesn't die soon, everyone will get sick. They need to sabotage the ritual to make sure Lucio won't get that body.

 

But how?

 

She walks away from Julian to retrieve Asra's book. Yes, she realized, Asra has about every ritual here, they have to find it and look over the procedures.

 

She flips through the pages with utmost speed, they had to get through this fast before the guards checked on them and found them infected.

 

She stopped on one page. A ritual designed to transfer a soul to another body. She stopped at one step, drinking the blood of the one being transferred. That should be easy enough. The other steps were easy enough for Julian to sabotage them with ease.

 

Showing Julian what he had to do, he nodded and looked by the walls to the various portals that littered the palace.

 

The apprentice opened one of the windows and saw Malak perched outside. She quickly wrote to Muriel and tied it to Malak's foot. "You know where to go." Malak screeched on return and took off.

 

The masquerade was tomorrow night, and that was when they were doing the ritual.

 

They had to ruin it.

 

 ☪

 

 The apprentice hides by the kitchen door, Volta was inside with Lucio's blood. The apprentice subtly wafted the smell of pumpkin bread from the main hall to the kitchen.

 

"Oh I smell food! Very delicious food. But I can't leave the blood here. But it smells oh so delicious! It wouldn't help to check would it?" She exclaimed, rushing out of the kitchen towards the main hall.

 

The apprentice immediately rushed into the kitchen, talking the bottle of Lucio's blood and replacing it with some pomegranate juice in the same looking bottle.

 

She quickly rushes back to the library where Julian was waiting.

 

With Questar Valdemar.

 

The apprentice immediately stops rigidly. Valdemar quirks their head, red eyes beaming delightfully.

 

"It seems as if Doctor 069 and Magician 02 have contacted the plague themselves. Oh how unfortunate Magician 01 isn't here, I would've loved to see him with you, infected as well." They chimed, their eyes glinting with sadistic intent.

 

The apprentice clenched her fists, resisting the urge to clobber the Royal physician. If they laid even one finger on Asra she'd-

 

A cough interrupted her thoughts as she held her knees for support. She heard Julian yell her name as she gazed at the floor, vision becoming blurry.

 

She could only see the small pool of blood under her before losing balance. Maybe she shouldn't have run that fast.

 

She peers up at Valdemar and Julian, her love slowly looking far worse for wear like herself.

 

They were only infected today, why would they fall this quickly-

 

Unless they hadn't even notice that they were sick until this morning.

 

She laid there on the floor, trying to go to Julian. "Guards, I'm afraid Doctor 069 and Magician 02 have succumbed to the plague. As much as I would love to have them in my quarters, I instruct you to bring them to the Lazaret immediately. Can't have them infecting the guests now can we?" She heard Valdemar speak.

 

 _No, not yet, wait_. She thought desperately as the guards hoisted her up alongside Julian. She tried to speak, to move, anything. Nothing worked, as the adrenaline of sabotaging Lucio's ritual wore off, any remaining energy dissipated.

 

She could only scream in her head as she and Julian were placed in the carts alongside the other infected who were too far gone.

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

When the apprentice wakes up, she realizes that she was on the floor of the Lazaret. She quickly sits up, looking over her shoulder where Julian lay.

 

She crawled to him, slowly shaking him. "Ilya, wake up." She croaked, biting down the nausea she felt. It was as if she was on fire and pins and needles were pricking her all about.

 

Julian slowly opens his bloodshot eyes, peering lovingly at the apprentice. "I feel like absolute crap."

 

The apprentice sniffled, laughing silently. "I do too."

 

They gaze sadly at each other. The Lazaret around them were filled with bodies of citizens of Vesuvia. Adults and children alike were filled with sorrow but somehow our main pair only felt content.

 

"I hope we were able to ruin the ritual." The apprentice whispered, not able to go any louder than that. "Lucio will be a very angry and dramatic ghost in the near future." Julian responded, giving his best to give his signature smile.

 

How they found the strength to talk or even move at all after earlier they don't know. Maybe it was because of them being unconscious or the thought of dying without having any last comfort of a loved one was what made them have the power that they had right now.

 

The apprentice sobbed in Julian's chest, not wanting to let go just yet. They still had so many things to do in life. Like having a picnic with Nadia and Portia and Muriel at the forest or spending nights in Asra's little adobe house and cuddling both him and Julian.

 

 _Asra_. She realized.

 

They wouldn't be there when he came back. Oh God, no no no. Asra. They had to get back to him.

 

They couldn't leave him alone, not after what both he and Muriel experienced as children.

 

"Ilya I'm scared. I'm scared of what's going to happen to Asra." She sobbed harder. Julian held her close, looking up to the open ceiling of the Lazaret. He, of course, knew what the Lazaret was turned into after the death tolls rolled too high.

 

They didn't even care whether or not the sick were alive or not, it was all a crematorium at the end of the day. The stars twinkled above, giving some sort of comfort to him. After leaving Nevivon, while studying medicine in Prakra, he always looked at the skies and told himself that his little sister was probably looking at the same sky.

 

His vision became blurry with unshed tears. He didn't want to leave. His sister was still at Mazelinka's house, too young to work at the palace yet. Asra was still out there, looking for a cure he can never find. Nadia was preparing for the masquerade with the full risk of getting sick.

 

He blinked out the tears, looking down at the sobbing girl on his chest. He also wanted to do so much before he died.

 

He tightened his hold on the girl and looked back up to the sky. On nights like these, he often thought about his future. He imagined waking up from in-between Asra and ____, having his favorite cup of black coffee in the kitchen. 

 

He would hear the pitter patter of small feet descending the stairs and see his children there. Oh, he had always wanted twins. A boy and a girl. Maybe they'd have his eyes and their mothers hair or the other way around. Maybe his other child would have Asra's eyes and his hair? Magic had endless possibilities after all, there had to be a spell to give their kids all of their features.

 

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he felt his love shift.

 

The apprentice reached up and took out her pendent from the inside of her blouse. She took out Julian's as well, connecting them to make the top half of the heart.

 

"We'll always be together, yeah?" She whispered, kissing the connected pendent. "Forever and ever until the end of time." He responded, sharing one last kiss.

 

He could feel everything slipping away from him. All his senses, all of his thoughts.

 

But one thing stayed. 

 

He sees a future filled with kisses and hugs. Maybe even a good adventure with his family. He can feel the happiness if he focused hard enough.

 

_'Forever and ever, until the end of time.'_

 

With that thought, everything went black as they lit the fires in the Lazaret.

 

☪

 

A giant figure roamed the halls of the palace. It was the night of the masquerade, the night where Lucio would finally die.

 

He should've been here earlier, but he was out in the forest when Malak arrived. He had to do this, he would avenge everyone who Lucio hurt, who he killed.

 

He would avenge Asra's loved ones. 

 

He would avenge the apprentice and Julian.

 

He would avenge himself.

 

Everyone who saw him immediately forgot once he left their sight. It was perfect for this. He didn't want to kill, not again, but after hearing that the apprentice and Julian were taken away he just knew he had to do it one last time.

 

He considered the apprentice and Julian friends, though Julian was always overdramatic about his height of 6'10 (208cm).

 

He remembered the apprentice's note to him. A brief description of what happened and he was quite heartbroken by it.

 

It simply read, _'Dear Muriel, unfortunately, Julian and I have become infected with the plague. Please, make sure Lucio can't infect anyone anymore. I know this is hard, but please, I can't trust anyone else. Comfort Asra when he comes back please, I know how much you mean to each other. I wish you best of luck Muriel. Thank you for everything.'_

 

Muriel closed his eyes, remembering when he met the apprentice almost a decade ago. It was when her aunt still ran the shop, but he remembered the girl running the register.

 

He opened his eyes, hiding behind an illusion, he sees Lucio retreating to his quarters. It was nearing midnight and all he had to do was kill him, that was the only thing that could stop him at this point.

 

That's why he learned fire magic in the first place.

 

There were no courtiers present, so that may just be his luck. Sneaking inside the room, he noticed Lucio's deteriorating figure on the bed.

 

He quietly said an incantation and flicked a tiny flame onto Lucio's clothes. As fast as he entered, he left. 

 

Valerius spotted him outside the Count's room, about to shout at him when Muriel turned the corner and immediately, Valerius stood gazed and confused until he realized that Lucio was screaming from his room.

 

Muriel sat in his hut, petting Inanna as he realized that he had to comfort Asra when he got back.

 

He didn't even know if he could do it, knowing Asra.

 

It's going to be bad.

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate making my bear boi do the killing shit but heyyyyy plot.

 

Asra steps into the market place and is relieved to see that it was as bustling as before. 

 

It has been at least a month since he left, and unfortunately, he couldn't find a cure to the plague. He was way up north near Prakra when he had gotten word that the plague was over.

 

He had left as soon as possible, but it still took him time as it has taken a week at most to get to the northern kingdoms.

 

He spotted the baker, a familiar smile on Asra's face as he remembered that he promised his loves loads of pumpkin bread. He wondered what had happened during the month he was absent. Perhaps his partners really did find a cure to the plague?

 

He approached the stall where the familiar smell of pumpkin bread wafted through the air. The towns he had visited also had pumpkin bread but nothing was like Vesuvia's own.

 

The Baker turned to him and suddenly paled. "Asra, you're finally back!" He exclaimed in half surprise, half sorrow. Asra wonders why.

 

Faust pops up from his shirt, blepping at the baker. The baker smiles as he pets her head, getting a freshwater cup for her. 

 

 _Thank you!_ She turns her head affectionately before blepping at the water.

 

"Can I get four loaves of our usual? Julian made me promise him that I'd treat them once I got back." He smiled.

 

The baker smiled sadly at him. "I'm sad that I'm the one who had to tell you this Asra," He started and Asra instantly knew something was wrong.

 

"A few weeks ago, Julian and ____, I'm afraid they became infected at the palace while they were doing research. I'm so sorry." He said, looking away so he couldn't see Asra's face. He knew how much Asra loved those two.

 

Asra paused, everything in him froze and he felt like he couldn't breathe. They couldn't be- right?

 

"But they're okay right? The plague's gone now. They're okay right?" He asked desperately, begging to whatever God there was that they were okay.

 

"They were taken to the Lazaret the day before the masquerade Asra. They were too far gone I'm sorry." The baker said, unshed tears line his eyes as he put a reassuring hand on the magician's shoulder.

 

Asra stepped back. "No, no, it can't be true. This is all some prank right? Ilya and ____ are just behind your stall and they'll come out any minute won't they?" He asked, not believing what he was hearing.

 

The baker shook his head solemnly and Asra felt like dying. He wordlessly tucked Faust back in his shirt and sprinted into the direction of the shop, breathing heavily while tears quickly built on his waterline.

 

 _No, he's lying, he's lying. You'll go to the shop and they'll be right there, waiting for you._ He thought pathetically as he ran through the streets.

 

He reached the shop in record time and began unlocking every lock including the _cross me not_ spell you would always put whenever you left the house.

 

He entered and shivered at just how cold the shop was. A fine layer of dust coated the place and Asra felt the tears steam down his face. 

 

"No no no," he continued to mutter to himself as he hurriedly ran upstairs to your shared bedroom. He entered the room and cried harder at the familiar aura that was hardly there anymore.

 

He sat on the bed, caressing the necklace he had never taken off his body. He started breathing heavily, thinking back on the last time he saw them.

 

 _I never should have left. I should have stayed here. Maybe they would've been alive or I would be with them regardless._ He cried and cried.

 

 _Where's friends?_ Faust asked him, looking as worried as a snake could look. Asra cried harder, holding Faust close to him.

 

She was the only one left of their little family.

 

"They're... Somewhere we can't reach Faust. But they're okay. They're okay." He reassured. Himself or Faust, he didn't know anymore.

 

He sniffed and wiped his tears with his shawl. He had to go to the Lazaret, he couldn't give up.

 

☪

 

The beach of the Lazaret, gray and haunting sent chills up Asra's spine as he walked through it. He could feel his Love's magic aura, it was faint but it was there.

 

The faint wailing in the distance did nothing to soothe his nerves. He wouldn't be surprised if this place was haunted.

 

He found where the aura was strongest, and he dug. He dug until his fingers bled to look for anything, a _sign_ that his loves were there.

 

We'll be okay Asra. I promise

 

Come back safe, and treat us to pumpkin bread when you come back, okay?

 

This only encourages him to dig harder and harder, but all that comes up is bones and ash.

 

Tears slowly drip onto his hands when he finally grasped something.

 

He hyperventilates, holding the connected pendent in his hands. He shakingly connects it to his piece, finally completing the heart.

 

A scream rose from the Lazaret that night, possibly reaching up to the stars, where he hoped his loves would be.

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big oof.

Asra panted as he finished screaming, his heart wrenching as if it had been stomped on a million times. Maybe it actually was, as the crushing weight of everything piled on his shoulders crushed everything into a fine powder.

 

With shaking fingers, he slowly put the whole pendent around his neck, stifling a sob as he was reminded of the way his love had so lovingly slipped it on his person. _You have to be strong_ , he reminded himself, forcing to stand up straight and walk to the gondola he borrowed from someone at the docks.

 

Sailing away from the Lazaret, he looked up at the sky, painted with the orange purple of the rising sun. He had realized that he stayed at the Lazaret well after midnight, but time was a matter of the mind, it didn't matter to him. More or less he didn't care about time because all the time he spent with the apprentice and Julian seemed to just blend in with one another.

 

He never thought about time when he was being smothered in Julian's encasing hugs or when he wrapped his arms around The apprentice when she made them tea. It didn't matter, because he had them.

 

Whenever he went off on his journeys, time didn't really matter either, he'd just drift off in random towns and paid no mind to how long he was gone.

 

It was this that he cursed at. He wasn't even supposed to be gone this long. A couple of weeks at most and not a freaking month as he had. This had really bit down on his conscience. His Julian and apprentice went down a few days after Asra had left and where was he? 

 

Maybe if he had stayed, he would've died as well. Maybe if he forced them to go with him, they'd be alive. He didn't know which one sounded better at the moment, but either way he would've been with them.

 

A knock against the boat made his head shot up. He had finally arrived at the docks. Climbing out, he stretched his tired limbs before starting his trek to the forest. He had to pay Muriel a visit.

 

☪

 

Walking below the familiar charms, he had felt relief. He needed to talk to Muriel. 

 

A whine caught his ears and he turned to find Inanna approaching. He smiled tiredly at the black wolf and petted her gingerly. "Muriel at his hut?" He asked and the wolf's ears perked up. She started walking down the familiar path and Asra followed.

 

Walking towards Muriel's hut, Asra had a lot of time to think. Had Muriel known what had happened, he knew Faust scurried to the giant after he had left for the Lazaret, at least she would be safe in there.

 

A hut came into view and next to it, a towering figure. Asra mustered his best smile at the moment and greeted him. "What have you been up to this past month?" He asked, hoping that maybe something positive had actually happened.

 

Muriel's green eyes looked at Asra in worry, he didn't look okay at all. His usual cat face whenever he was idle was stricken and the impression of dark circles around his eyes were starting to appear. "Get in," he said, opening the door for the white haired magician.

 

Asra sat down on a pelt of fur in front of the fireplace. A smooth, cool noodle glided up his arm before a familiar squeeze embraced his neck. _Asra!_ Faust exclaimed as she blepped at him. He smiled at her. "Hey Faust, did Muriel treat you okay?" He asked teasingly, looking at the big boi sitting on the bed.

 

 _Too big to squeeze!_ She squirmed, red eyes staring unblinking into his purple ones. Asra slightly chuckled, rubbing his eyes which felt a little too sore at the moment. _Asra not okay. Asra sad._ Faust blepped, red eyes in worry. Asra sighed, closing his eyes. "I'll be okay Faust."

 

But would be really? He had just lost 2 of the most important people in his life. He had never felt this since-well, his _parents_. And it was nearly two decades ago.

 

Feeling a faint shuffle, Asra opened his eyes and looked at Muriel rummaging through his drawers. Just what was he looking for? Finally retrieving a piece of paper, Muriel cautiously held it to Asra.

 

Asra, looking at the paper, felt the faint aura of you-the apprentice on it. His heart filled with dead and longing. Slowly grasping the paper, he read it with a heavy heart. Your handwriting, which had always been a bit messy as you always written fast was even more disheveled, a few miss strokes revealing how weak you were.

 

 Asra looked up at Muriel. "What did you do?" He couldn't help but ask. Muriel never likes going out into crowded places. 

 

"... I might have set Lucio on fire." 

 

What.

 

 

 **WHAT**.

 

"YOU DID WHAT?" Asra yelled, shooting up. Muriel doesn't like crowded places nevertheless killing people anymore. Muriel looks away, eyes distant.

 

"Muriel, why? You don't like hurting people anymore." Asra trailed off. Muriel took out a few books from his massive cloak thingy.

 

"After reaching the palace, I managed to snoop around while waiting for Lucio to go back to his quarters. I found this by Julian and ____'s workplace. Then I went to Julian's office in the dungeons." He explained, giving the books to Asra.

 

Asra flipped through the first book, a deep purple color, recognizing it as the apprentice's. A few reports from citizens and possible cures to the plague but then it got a little interesting. A few notes scribbled on about a ritual to replace Lucio's dying body to a new one.

 

It was a highly risky ritual, considering that Lucio was terrible at magic. Then, there was a checklist of things to sabotage the ritual. Where replacing Lucio's blood with pomegranate for the guest's at Lucio's private dinner made him laugh a little.

 

He went to a dark red book, which he instantly knew was Julian's. Sitting back down in front of the fire, he flipped through the pages as well. One note made him freeze. It was a brief phrase of _'Lucio is the carrier of the plague. Kill Lucio, the plague disappears.'_

 

 Asra looked up at Muriel. "That's why you did it. That's why the plague's gone." He finally understood. "When I saw that, I knew what I had to do. What I don't know is what happened during that 'private dinner' that ___ scribbled in her notebook." Muriel explained, gravely voice bouncing off the confines of his hut.

 

"I suppose ruined if they sabotaged it." He said, quirking a small smile at the thought. "When," Asra paused, swallowing down the lump in his throat. "When did they, you know." He finished, not daring to voice out the real meaning.

 

There was silence for a moment, only the crackling of the fire and the short puffs of breath Inanna blew as Faust cuddled around her neck.

 

"The day before the masquerade." Muriel finally said, looking down when he heard Asra's sharp inhale.

 

"... I'm sorry Asra. I knew how much they meant to you." He droned, awkwardly sitting down next to the fluffy haired man. Drawing a heavily muscled arm, he wrapped it around the smaller and held him, awkwardly. Very awkwardly.

 

A shake and a choked sob escaped Asra for what seemed like the umpteenth time today.

 

 _Why_ , he wondered, _why does everyone that he loves leave him so soon?_

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I told y'all this was heavy angst, it's heavy angst.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun shone over Vesuvia, the palace sparkling gold, a beacon of light all throughout the town.

 

Inside a quaint little shop, a white haired magician sat, happily feeding his stove salamander its food. He no longer went out on long expeditions anymore, as no one would watch the shop for such an extended length.

 

It had been three years since the red plague left Vesuvia.

 

It had been three years since Count Lucio died.

 

It had been three years since Asra's home died.

 

Yet he continued on. He often found himself visiting the palace frequently, if not to check on Portia, then he'd hang out in the gardens at the fountain.

 

Today was one of those days. Portia, being Nadia's favorite handmaiden -oh Julian would've been so proud-, eagerly waited for Asra on her breaks. They'd hang out in her cottage, Pepi and Faust doing what animal friends do, and Asra would continue his magic teaching to her.

 

Much like Julian, his sister had a magic core, hidden in her being. Though it laid dormant, Asra quickly began teaching her beginner spells, getting a sense of hurtful nostalgia of Julian when he taught him spells as well.

 

Portia was a great student indeed, maybe later she can also create a gate to her patron arcana, The Star. Even though they didn't exactly know her patron arcana before, it was pretty obvious which one it was.

 

Asra sighed wistfully perched on the seat of the fountain. Even though it had been three years, everything still felt unreal. Other than the fountain and if he wasn't feeling it to teach Portia more magic, he sometimes lounges in the library. The desk that was used by the apprentice and Julian laid covered by a white sheet.

 

Asra always had the urge to just rip the sheet off and go through every item on the desk but he just couldn't. He was scared something would trigger within him if he saw what was there.

 

Squinting from the reflection of light from the waters of the fountain, Asra went to just sit in the shade by a tree. His favorite tree to be exact.

 

 As he sat down in front of the tree, he gazed downwards, where his breath caught for barely a second before tearing his eyes away from the sight. He slowly relaxed, a faint, barely there smile adorned his face as he traced the two names he had carved on there long ago.

 

It was almost like yesterday...

 

☪

 

_The sky seemed to celebrate itself as twinkling stars showered over Vesuvia. It wasn't fireworks, it was a comet shower on the night of the masquerade._

 

_It was just late enough for the sky to be pitch dark, but too early for the masquerade to end anytime soon. Three figures walked side by side in their masks as they were walking to the palace._

 

_____ laughed at a joke Julian had made, a bright smile on each ones faces as the whole town was rejoicing the birthday of the Count._

 

_It was their first masquerade, them finally being of age to attend the extravagant event. Their masks, each one perfectly carved to fit their faces (courtesy of Asra's master carving skills), were among many in the sea of attendees._

 

_"Asra! Come look at the bubble room!" He heard Julian shout, pointing at a room filled with giant bubbles. "Let's go!" Their apprentice shouted as she raced inside. Her being thankful that her dress wasn't long enough to touch the floor._

 

_Julian followed suit, and Asra smiled brightly, running into the bubble room too. He didn't think he'd love someone as much as them._

 

_Soon, the night grew later, and the trio sat in front of a tree next to the currently occupied fountain. Asra wrapped his arms around ____ and Julian, sighing contently as the light breeze shook the Vesuvian branches._

 

_It was calm, the sounds of the masquerade faint in the distance. Asra couldn't have felt more at home observing his boyfriend and girlfriend who were looking at the twinkling sky above. The meteor shower wasn't ceasing a bit._

 

_Asra hugged them tighter, warmth filling his chest as he realized there could be many more nights like this for years and years to come if fate allowed it._

 

_He really hoped that fate allowed it._

 

_Now looking at the stars in the cool Vesuvian night, he realized that the prettiest stars were right there with him._

 

☪

 

And that was when Asra had carved their names in the trunk at the end of the night. Evidence that they were there and loved each other once upon a time.

 

He traced the names and smiled painfully at the memory. He kept reminding himself to be strong but when things like these pop up he couldn't help but feel that familiar emptiness he had felt for years.

 

Oh the first weeks after the news was beyond dreadful and Asra knew he couldn't act like this. It wasn't what they would've wanted, that, he knew for sure. So he built his walls up again, the mysterious aura around him grew stronger as he took short trips to neighboring towns.

 

Portia often complained about how he was so mysterious and vague but oddly able to teach her accordingly.

 

Standing up, he shouldered his messenger bag and walked through that one door in the maze that would lead to the path to the Rowdy Raven. He didn't take this path quite often, but it gave him time to think.

 

Later that night as Asra laid asleep, the pendent around his neck glowed a soft green before going back to its original color.

 


	7. Chapter 7

 

Eyes slowly opened and a groan reverberated around the enclosed walls. Red, it was everywhere. The Hanged Man's realm was off-putting in a way but easy to get used to once you've lived there for three years. "You alright?" A male voice asked next to her. "I'm okay, I just feel weird." The apprentice replied, pushing herself off the light red bed she shared with Julian. "What just happened?" Julian asked. A moment ago, they saw a flash of Vesuvia, the masquerade, and other figures they didn't seem to recognize yet.

 

The apprentice slowly shrugged, it was weird, the Vesuvia in that vision looked different. "Wanna ask the Hanged man? He probably knows." She suggested. Julian nodded and they left the home that they have been living in for three years. It was so weird and confusing when they first opened their eyes. They died! after all. Waking up with Julian's Arcana was very _very_ confusing. Then he began to explain everything then they slowly began to understand. 

 

The bird-like Arcana explained to them that he needed their help in something. Apparently the Devil had some plan to merge the realms of the living and the arcanas. Very stupid and dangerous, I know. Death had helped in the transfer of ______ and Julian's spirits safely to the Hanged Man's realm as he was the one to inform the Hanged Man of the Devil's plans. Even though Death was Valdemar's archetype -who was so close to Lucio-, they had enough of the devil and his stupid plans.

 

"The High Priestess has informed me that Nadia shall host the masquerade once again in a weeks time. She said it was to 'honor' Lucio's life."

 

Julian and the apprentice looked at each other, grimacing. Nadia despised Lucio, but the city must have gotten suspicious if she were to hold the masquerade again after three years.

 

"The devil will bring Lucio back to the mortal realm. I trust my two only students shall put a stop to it."

 

The two looked at each other again and nodded firmly. Three years in the hanged man's realm, three years of training for this moment.

 

Three years for a chance to finally see Asra again. 

 

Oh God, they've been gone for so long! Asra would be ecstatic to see them again, if not confused. After all, they've been 'dead' for three years.

 

"I will bring you both back the night of the masquerade. Try your best you two, we can't have any hiccups in this play." 

 

Two nodded once again, renewed with determination to stop Lucio and the Devil. Maybe they could be fast with it and then they could spend more time with Asra.

 

With a final wave, the couple walked off into the red landscape. Julian looked over at the apprentice and sighed. "Have you seen Scout lately?" 

 

The apprentice shook her head. "I haven't been able to get into her realm either, which doesn't make sense since she's my arcana! You don't think she locked me out right?"

 

Julian quirked a smile, shaking his head. "I doubt it but I worry, everytime you come back from her gate you come back pouting that she wasn't appearing."

 

They entered their makeshift home for the past three years and settled in, talking about how Scout reminded them of Brundle or how they imagined Asra making Faust a mask for the masquerade -he actually did in the past-.

 

"I can't wait to see Asra, I just wish that we could explain before the masquerade." The apprentice mutters, burying her head in Julian's chest.

 

"I do too, but we have to trust my archetype on this one."

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
